Hey, I'm new here.
I'm not sure if this is the right forum for it, but...

I need some help. I'm typically a PC user, one who really wants an iMac. I try them out all the time I want one more and more. I've talked to my parents about it, but 1500 dollars just isn't the kind of money you go shooting out. They say it'll play out in time, but I feel like their time is going no where. I'd like to find a way to convince them that getting an iMac is more of an investmen rather than just getting another computer which will be replaced in the next year.

I've already told them how great it is, I talk about it almost all the time, and I think about it more then once a day. But I need a way for my parents to start applying some action since my money doesn't grow as fast as I'd like it. I asked them if I could get a job, but they'd rather have me being independent and creative rather than get a time-consuming and labouring job. And I doubt a job would help me get there any faster. Some help? Thanks.

I'm 17, and I am aware of the other options. Right now, I'm not looking so much for a portable (especially one with a 15" screen), and I need something to replace my PC.

I work with HTML and PHP, and I do a lot of editing in Photoshop CS 2. I even purchased a tablet to help me have more control over my work in photoshop. But my PC really lags. I do the clean-up, optimization, anti-viral and ad/spyware scans every once and a while. I even have this thing that helps me optimize my ram, but my PC is just too slow. I need something that helps me fly by, and that I can come home to every day after school and not be looking at a 13" thick beige monitor. The iMac's interface is also designed well for me with the ports, since I use USB a lot, my USB extender is short and won't reach, and the fact that I have at least 5 peripherals that I switch between constantly.

I advise you to take your parents to the apple store. I've been trying to convince my dad for weeks, but our visit to the apple store totally convinced him that it would be a great notebook (the macbook pro). He even said he'd like to get a mac mini possibly someday. I suggest you go the power processor way, and get the refurb imac G5. But maybe you should wait- I'm 17 too, and I won't be seeing my computer until June. I think the most important thing is to explain to them why you want it, and then you should contribute a lot of the funds towards it.

The Mac mini is perfect for what you are looking to do, whether it's the Solo or Duo model. The Duo model is obviously the one I recommend. Its specs are about the same as the iMac's, minus the graphics card. Integrated graphics will be just fine for what you want to do also. Do you plan on playing any 3D games?

I asked them if I could get a job, but they'd rather have me being independent and creative rather than get a time-consuming and labouring job.

Click to expand...

So they want you to be independent by depending on them for your income and purchases?

I've had a job since I was 16, and I suspect a good few here will have had a job since before then. It's a part of life. You'll appreciate that iMac a lot more when you've had to work and save hard for it.

Hey, I'm new here.
I asked them if I could get a job, but they'd rather have me being independent and creative rather than get a time-consuming and labouring job. And I doubt a job would help me get there any faster. Some help? Thanks.

Click to expand...

Haha wow, if only my parents were like that back in the day. My dad made me do farm work when I was young (13-17) in the summer just to teach me what real work was. I feel sad for those who don't have a taste of hard work and then feel the world owes them everything. Sorry just thought that was ironic.

I feel your pain, man. I'm 15 and work full-time during the summer (8 freaking bucks an hour! ). I had a very large argument with my parents that lasted over 6 months. It was over control of my bank account. I, thinking that I was in charge of my money, put pay check after pay check (we're talking 500 dollar checks) in my savings account. I was doing it to save up for college, and to buy a Mac to replace my current PC. At the end of the summer, I was informed that what goes in stays in. My parents claimed that I said right out before I started working something along the lines of, "What I put in the bank stays in the bank. Hold me to my word." I don't remember saying that. If I did say it, I think I would remember. After over 6 months of arguing, my Dad finally gave up. I'm allowed to do whatever I want with my money now. I even have a debit card. I haven't bought a Mac yet because I've decided to wait another summer. My parents won't be able to pay for a lot of my college, so I need to have as much saved up as I can. I'll have enough extra to purchase a Mac by Fall.

Up until I was 16 I just worked on the farm, then after that I worked on the farm and at a local restaurant, just for gas money. But after all of that it makes me appreciate things more.

The only way I could convince my parents to buy something like a computer was to say it's for school or else I had to buy it.

and like they said before, take them to an apple store sometime, let them see for themselves. Are they very computer litterate? or do they know nothing? If they know nothing about them, then it'll be extremely hard to convince them to spend a bit for another computer.

Well, I do actually perfer buying the computer myself. I've never had my own NEW computer before, they were always hand-downs from my Dad. He's a human resource manager and leads a lot of projects, so he works with computers almost daily - but only PCs.

What I mean by being independent is that they want me to use my creative skills to get money, but I know that that's no way to make 1500 dollars quickly. I'm not in a major hurry to get the iMac, and I am aware that a lot of applications aren't universal binarys yet.

But I'm still set for getting the core duo because I'm really hooked at that speed. I tried one out yesterday - they're faster than the PowerPC models that I used to try out.

I would take them to the Apple Store, but the closest one is about an hour away from here. My Dad isn't someone who likes to drive more than an hour just to go to one place. (Especially if he doesn't care about it). But my grandparents live around the Apple Store, so next time we visit them I could ask if we could stop by.

The Mac Mini doesn't interest me. I actually considered that first, about 4 months ago when I started looking into Macs. But the truth is, it doesn't have enough USB ports, and I don't have a USB keyboard. Even with the updated 4 ports, I have way too many peripherals to be switching plugs all the time.

MacRumors attracts a broad audience
of both consumers and professionals interested in
the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on
purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.